Can tennis do a complete schedule restructure like golf?

What is the fate of the 2020 tennis season? Like all other sports, tennis is entirely at the mercy of the spreading coronavirus. Only after the virus is under control–and right now there is no telling when that could be–can sports think around resuming.

The Indian Wells Masters was cancelled just days before it was to begin the week of March 17, and with that a domino effect was kicked off. Shortly thereafter the Miami Masters got the axe, followed by the entire spring clay-court spring. Next on the chopping block (last Wednesday, to be exact) Wimbledon and all other grass-court tournaments were cancelled.

So is all hope lost?

Perhaps not. Golf, which is the sport most similar to tennis in terms of its individual aspect and in that it is played all over the world by players in centralized locations from all over the place, is pressing forward with a revamped schedule. Obviously all dates are subject to change based on what happens with the coronavirus, but golf inspired some semblance of optimism with Monday’s announcement.

Various golf organizers across multiple tours revealed a rearranged schedule, highlighted by the Masters from November 12-15. The Masters was previously set for this week. Although the British Open (July 16-19) was cancelled, three of the four majors are holding out hope. Joining the Masters as puzzle pieces still on the board, the PGA Championship is moving from May 14-17 to Aug. 6-9 and the U.S. Open has switched from June 16-19 to Sept. 17-20.

“We want to emphasize that our future plans are incumbent upon favorable counsel and direction from health officials,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters. “Provided that occurs and we can conduct the 2020 Masters, we intend to invite those professionals, and amateurs who would have qualified for our original April date and welcome all existing ticket holders to enjoy the excitement of Masters week.”

As Ridley noted, health officials will have the final word before any sport can get started again. But can tennis go ahead and plan for the best-case scenario of a summer and fall resumption? As it stands right now, the post-Wimbledon swing beginning on July 13 in Newport, Hamburg, and Bastad remains on the schedule. All events through the rest of 2020 do the same, with the only difference being the French Open’s rescheduling from May and June to September and October.

Could additional drastic changes be in the cards, just as they were for golf? For multiple reasons, it’s possible. For many players, almost all of November and December is normally the offseason. Given 2020’s unique circumstances, there is no real need for such an offseason. After all, at minimum the current pause is going to last more than twice as long as a traditional offseason. There are plenty of open spots in November and December for tournaments, especially of the indoor variety. Moreover, the rogue move by Roland Garros to late September puts the U.S. Open in a sticky spot. In fact, the U.S. Open is now scheduled to begin just one week after the French Open ends. That is not ideal for anyone involved. Nor–given the current state of affairs in New York–do the chances of the U.S. Open proceeding as scheduled look promising.

The festivities at Flushing Meadows could conceivably get pushed back six weeks or so and still see pleasant conditions in New York, also allowing more time in between the two slams–with the French Open going first. That would also allow for additional clay-court events such as Madrid to be played both before and after the French. Those would take the place of the Asian and European indoor seasons, which could now follow the U.S. Open in November and December. Those are perfect months for indoor tennis and the Laver Cup could also shift to December, which is really where it belongs during the exhibition season.

The chances of any of this happening may be slim, but it may not be a bad idea to at least take some hopeful notes from golf.